" WE NEED THE POWER LIKE !!!!!! "
Text; 1 Timothy 1:6-8
Intro:
Today as never before, the Church of the Living God is loosing it’s power that she had with the Lord. There are many, many reasons for this, but I think the greatest of all the reasons is as I have said we live amongst prayerless people. The Bible teaches that after the Holy Ghost was poured out upon all those that were in the upper room, they went out with great power and authority and preached the gospel of Jesus Christ and saw many wonderful miracles. It was with power they spoke to people that were possessed and the demons had to leave, it was with power they laid hands upon those that were sick and God healed them, it was with power they preached the Word of God, not compromising and many heard and received the salvation of the Lord.
We live in a day and time where God has not changed, but the people have changed, we also live in a day and time where people neglect their prayer life; and we need a fresh touch of His power and might to blow on us once again to remove all the dust of complacency. We also live in a day and time where we need the mighty power of the Lord working in us and through us.
So We need the power like;
1.) Elijah the Tishbite;
Elijah was a man, just like you and I, but he was one that loved the Lord and stood for what was right. Elijah, had power with God. The Bible says, he prayed and the heavens stopped up and refused to give rain, and he prayed again and the rain fail. He had so much power with the Lord that he prayed and fire fail from heaven and consumed a burnt offering.
Elijah had so much power that God talked with him on a daily basses, He knew him personally, he had a right relationship with God. It was Elijah that I spoke about this morning who God told to go and speak judgment on Ahab for his turning away from God and working the works of evil. And we need that kind of power with God today. No fear of men, Fear of God.
We need power like;
2.) Elisha
Elisha was a man that knew how to press in until the answer came. We need to learn how to press in. We so often pray and than expect the answer even before we get up off our knees. Elisha knew how to persist. When Elijah wanted him to stay at Gilgal, Elisha said no, " As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee." When He wanted him to stay at Bethel, Jericho, and Jordan, Elisha said No Elijah I will not leave thee, and through his persistence, as they walked alone and talked a Chariot of fire separated them and Elijah was taken up to heaven and as he was taken up his mantle fail back to earth and Elisha received a double portion of Elijah’s strength or power that he had with the Lord.
It was Elisha that went back and smote the waters with Elijah’s mantle and the waters parted, it was Elisha that the Shunammite woman prepared a bed in the upper part of her and her husband’s house for the prophet to have a place to lay his head and than when her son died, she didn’t dismay, she came to the prophet........., he laid upon the boy and the breath of life came back into his body. That the kind of power we need.
It was Elisha church, that even after he died, war was going on and a solider was killed and when they didn’t have time to bury him they threw him in and open grave which just happened to be the grave of Elisha and there was so much of God in that man that even after his death when the body of that dead solider hit his he came back to life. That’s the kind of power we need.
We need power like;
3.) Paul and Salis;
Paul and Salis had so much power that when they came into the city of Philipi, those who wanted to cause problems, and stir up dissention hired a woman of ill repute to follow them and as she follow them she proclaim that these were men of the most high God, and they were telling the truth, and Paul turned and rebuked the devil out of her and then she truly was a follower. Because of that, they were brought before the majestright and was put into the prison, lower parts of the prison, and they had so much power with the Lord they could sing even in the midst of their troubles.
Peter was put in prison one time between two guards after one of his comrades was killed and he sleep........
We need power like;
4.) Peter and John;
Who after the resurrection of Jesus went to the Temple at the hour to pray, and they had top pass through the gate called beautiful, seeing a man that was lame from birth begging alms........
I understand brother Corley, but How do we get this power that your talking about?
I’m glad you asked that question. We have to turn from things that is not pleasing to God and please Him! We have to push the plate back and fall upon our face and seek the Lord until the answer comes. Little five minute lay me down to sleep prayers is not enough. Praying five, ten, or fifteen minutes or just whenever you get a chance is not enough. You must spend time with the Lord, quality time with Him.
And He must come first and far-most in our lives. He desires a people who will worship Him, He desires a people who will be willing to spend time with Him, doing what He wants.
This world around us is looking at us, wondering what in the world that we are going to do next. They see us have our streets fairs, they see us changing the inside of the church, they see us having our bake sales, and do all sorts of things to raise money, and improve our church, but doing these things is just not enough. The power and Spirit of the Lord Must Be Moving in our midst, and when the fire really falls them they will come! They will come bringing their sick, they will come bringing their needs and problems, because than they will know that here is where the Lord will meet them and His people will have the power to help them.
How do we get this power? The Bible says; " This kind cometh only by fasting and praying."
